(Monrovia, Liberia, 1 May 2026) — The Ministry of Health of Liberia, in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation and UNICEF Liberia, has launched the Community Health Workforce Development Program, a flagship initiative aimed at strengthening the country’s primary healthcare system while creating employment opportunities for young people.
The project is designed to support and strengthen community health platforms across the country by investing in a new generation of trained and empowered frontline health workers. It aligns with national priorities to improve service delivery, expand access to healthcare, and enhance community resilience.
Under the project, approximately 10,000 Community Health Workers are expected to be trained by 2028, with an additional 5,000 receiving advanced skills development. About 70 percent of the beneficiaries are expected to be young women between the ages of 18 and 35.
Speaking at the launch, the Minister of Health, Dr Louise M. Kpoto, underscored the broader economic and social impact of the program.
She highlighted its potential to boost the Liberian economy by equipping young people, including Community Health Assistants (CHAs), with opportunities to pursue entrepreneurship, access financing, build business skills, and benefit from mentorship and networking opportunities.
According to Dr Kpoto, the program is expected to promote self-sufficiency and contribute to national development by empowering young people with sustainable livelihoods within the healthcare sector.
She also referenced progress under the “Monrovia Call to Action”, noting that 56 percent of Community Health Services Supervisors (CHSS) have already been integrated into the Government of Liberia payroll.
Dr. Kpoto said efforts are ongoing to ensure that more frontline health workers are formally employed, reinforcing the government’s commitment to sustaining the health workforce.
Grand Cape Mount County Senator and Chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Hon. Dabah Varpilah, officially launched the program on behalf of President Joseph Boakai.
She reaffirmed the Government of Liberia’s commitment to sustaining the programme beyond 2028 and emphasized the importance of investing in community health systems to improve healthcare delivery nationwide.
Speaking on behalf of the Mastercard Foundation, Caleb Aromeh, Lead for Digital Innovation, Artificial Intelligence and Entrepreneurship, described the initiative as a significant milestone for Liberia’s health sector.
He said the program would play a critical role in strengthening the community health workforce, which remains central to service delivery across the country.
“This project represents an important milestone in strengthening Liberia’s primary health care system by reinforcing the role of community health workers who are at the center of service delivery, employment creation, and community resilience,” Aromeh said.
“By focusing on employment and the upskilling of our community health workforce, we are enabling a primary health care ecosystem that supports sustainable empowerment and job creation. This project responds directly to both health system priorities and the aspirations of young people seeking dignified and fulfilling work opportunities, especially women.”
He added that the Mastercard Foundation looked forward to supporting the successful implementation of the pilot phase and scaling up lessons learned across the country.
The project places strong emphasis on youth empowerment, entrepreneurship and economic inclusion. Through training, access to funding opportunities, mentorship and networking, young community health actors are expected to develop both technical and business skills, positioning them as drivers of local economic development.
In separate remarks, partners at the launch expressed optimism that lessons from the pilot phase would inform expansion efforts across all regions of Liberia.
The launch further reaffirmed the government’s leadership in advancing community health systems and its commitment to building a resilient and inclusive health sector.
